A Risen Darkness
by Abisian
Summary: [Sequel to Fallen Light] A month after the Fall, Halo was taken in by Atlas's friends, but in an attempt to get the government and the guilty feelings off her back, she must try to repair It. It'd be a lot easier if she wasn't wanted for murder. . .
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Metropolis or any of the characters from the movie. Halo, Jack, Tina, Doc Potter, and others mentioned later on are mine. All mine. ^_^ The plot is mine too. Enjoy.

The people watched from afar as the Tower began to fall to pieces and collapse. The ones that were too close were screaming and running in fear as the remains of the Tower tumbled to the ground. 

The only one near this scene who didn't care what was happening to the Tower was above it, flying through the air, unconscious. Fingers pointed as she came hurtling toward the ground, completely oblivious to everything that was happening. 

The Tower, still in flames with debris flying around, gave a final spout and exploded. The people hit the ground quickly as the bits went flying out. The sound was loud, fire whipping. The Tower threatened to bring down buildings around it but it collapsed from the inside, blowing around dust as it hit the ground. 

The sky above it was red, a bloody red, charred from the radiation. The heat was unbearable, even people in Zone One were sweating. People around the site were clearing out quickly, evacuating before they too got caught in this mess. They were so busy to save themselves from the hell that the Zigguraut had been brought they didn't even notice the small body of a woman hit the ground.

Prologue: Past

The lights beaming down at her was invading her darkness, her privacy . . . Her sleep. It roused her quickly, though she cursed it for doing so. She didn't dare to open her eyes just yet, as if pretending to still be asleep, though she knew she had to at some point.

She tried to hang on to the last traces of her slumber, failing miserably, and opened her eyes slowly. Above her was a man who appeared to be a doctor, though she couldn't quite figure out why. Then the next thing she noticed was a needle coming towards her. Needles. She hated needles, but she couldn't move, and if she tried, she would end up screaming in pain. She just knew.

She couldn't even feel the needle going into her arm, but still, she concentrated on remembering how she got there. Okay, she remembered her name, Halo Kane, she remembered Rock, Atlas, the Duke . . . The Zigguraut. The radiation. The throne. Tima. Then the sky . . . Shot bloody red.

"Hey! I think she's awake!" piped a voice. She looked to her left and there was a blonde nurse, holding a needle up. The cartridge was empty, having been inserted into Halo, but the way she was holding it scared Halo a little . . . she was holding it a bit too carelessly for Halo's liking.

"Tina! Put that syringe down!" ordered the young doctor, snatching the syringe from her and setting it down on the metal pan. The doctor then sighed. "Well, I think we've patched her up as well as we could get it. Must've been hell falling from that tower."

Falling? More like flying, Halo thought bitterly. Halo Kane. Well, at least she remembered her name.

"Well, Tiff said it would be hard!" the annoying nurse said brightly. 

"I did pretty good for a beginner," the doctor said indignantly. Their voices were getting louder and irritating. To Halo, at least. She looked over at the doctor, who was now sitting on an empty bed to her right. The nurse had moved on her left side to prod at her bandages.

"You're right, sir, you did do pretty good," she said in her annoying chippery voice. 

"Make her be quiet." Her words came out as a whisper, as she couldn't muster much more. 

"What?" 

"Make her shut up!" Halo said more forcefully. She didn't mean to be rude or sound rude but really, nurses were supposed to be a little quieter. And while she was thinking about it, nurses were supposed to 'handle objects with caution' weren't they? Swinging that needle around just didn't fit in with hospital staff.

Now that Halo had found a little more of her voice, she asked the doctor, "How long have I been here?"

"Um . . . About two days. They say you were out cold when they found you. You were still out of it when I saw you. You've been kind of slipping in and out of consciousness for the past two days."

"The Zigguraut . . . Were there . . . any survivors?"

"I . . . I dunno. All we know of is you. There were bodies everywhere, scientists. We don't even know who all was in that blasted tower. Some of the bodies we picked up we weren't even able to tag and identify."

Halo slowly sat up, not taking her eyes from the doctor. "So you didn't find Rock of the Marduks? Or the Duke?"

"Well . . . No. Not that I know of. I'm limited. I've only been in this makeshift hospital since a little after you were brought in. I'm a beginner, I was just sent here. I'm not even a real doctor. Not yet anyway."

Halo bit her lip and looked down at her hand, which fell limply beside her leg. Hadn't anyone survived? A scientist? Anyone who had proof of Red's plan? Wasn't Rock alive? Atlas? No . . . Atlas was dead. And it was her fault. At this thought her hand began to slide down to her pocket, but the cap wasn't there.

"Where is it?" she demanded.

"What, this?" Tina slowly lifted the brown cap from the table beside where she had been sitting. She took it to Halo, who snatched it from the woman's hands and clutched it tightly to her chest.

"What's wrong?" The doctor had noticed a solitary tear sliding smoothly down her cheek. 

"N-nothing," she choked. Kenna . . . Fern . . . They too had been in the Tower. They were dead, most likely, by murder or by the Fall of the Zigguraut. It wouldn't matter. She was the only one to make it out of that tower, and her word against most of Metropolis wasn't that promising. It was basically suicide. Besides, she was a robot supporter. She had saved them temporarily, but what if non-supporters rebelled because of the robots and the death of their leader, the Duke?

Karen, Halo thought lamely. Karen was still out there, somewhere, with the boys. Karen knew about it, maybe she could . . . No, she didn't know the full length. She hadn't heard, and the recorder had been burned along with the Zigguraut. 

"You don't know anything that happened or why the Tower blew?" the doctor asked abruptly. Halo knew, but she couldn't tell him. No one knew about the Zigguraut, no one knew about what it was really for, no one but scientists that were now dead had ever seen the inside, and no one would believe her. 

"No," she lied after a moment in thought. "No, I don't remember anything."

"Can't you remember why you were in the Tower in the first place? No citizens were allowed in there and you didn't look like you worked in there."

"No . . . I can't remember," she stated firmly. "Can I go now?"

"Nope," said the nurse from no where. "'Patients recovering from a comatose state, severe injuries, and critical bloodloss are not allowed to leave the facinity until partial, positive, or full recovery of their more serious symptoms.'" She was quoting a line from the nurse's handguide, which was laying on a table two beds away from Halo. 

"I'm patched up, I'm awake, aren't I?" pressed Halo angrily.

"W- uh, yeah, but-"

"Just because you've been fixed up doesn't mean you're well enough to leave here. Besides, where would you go?"

Halo thought for a minute, looking hard at the doctor, then down at the cap in her hands. "I . . . I have friends . . . living around the east side of Metropolis."

Author's Notes: I know the name Tina sounds like Tima, but Tina was the only name I could think of that went well with how I pictured her and her personality ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1. Present

Halo yawned and sat up. It wasn't even near daylight yet but through her window she could still see the gap where the mighty Zigguraut Tower once stood.

After the Tower had blown clean-up groups and people working with the Human Aid and Health Department had been down at the site to clean up bodies and carry out some of the bigger pieces of debris. It was already more than a month later and they still hadn't finished. 

"Oy, Halo, you up yet?" came a voice and a knock at her door. A head peeked in to see.

"Yeah, Jack, I'm up."

"Well, hurry and get dressed, we got work to do today, remember?"

"Yeah." Halo stood and Jack left as she got dressed; nothing much to it, just one of the guys' old shirts and a pair of her own shorts. After a few moments she emerged from her room and began to walk down the stairs and to the chamber where the guys would probably be waiting. Sure enough, when she arrived, six men were sitting in chairs around the room, Jack standing by the door.

Jack had been one of Atlas's close friends and also one of the first people Halo had met in Metropolis. Just more than a month ago he had accepted Halo's plea to stay with them in their tower-type hang-out and help organize a few things. Of course, some people didn't approve of Halo because she was a robot-supporter, but things got worked out in the end.

"Okay, people," Jack said loudly, stepping from his post at the door. "We've been slacking for the past week and this isn't good. We got limited amounts o' money and I know you lot are blown' it down in Zone One. That's not a great thing either. But first things first. I got a list of things we need and a little bit of money left. Someone's gonna need to pick some stuff up for us. Also . . . We'll need to go to the Zigguraut. There's some stuff I think we could salvage over there and . . . Atlas."

Halo didn't want to even think about what he had just said, but it was too late. When he had spoken that last word Halo had a horrid picture in her mind of Atlas lying dead on the ground, burned, charred, and cut everywhere by the debris. 

"Since there are eight of us, I think two can go to get the stuff we need. Don, Lin, that'll be you. The rest of us go to the wreckage site and find any gun part you can get your hands on. Got it?"

Seconds later Don and Lin were already out the door with specific yet secret orders. The other six of them were heading out the door in the back of the room, loaded with guns and ammunition. Arriving at the site, which wasn't that far away, they split up. 

Jack held the gun while Halo followed along behind. 

"Why do you have to carry a gun around here?"

"Well, we're not exactly Metropolis's favorite people, are we?"

"Jack, why do you want Atlas?"

"I don't want Atlas, exactly, I just . . . I dunno. It's kind of a mystery to me. I know he died during the Fall, but it's just weird. He never even had anything to do like that."

"But, Jack, he didn't die during the Fall. He died before it. He . . . he was shot."

"What was he doing in the Tower anyway?"

"It was my fault. I asked him for help and he helped me, and then some, and he just went a little too far. Rock of the Marduks shot him." They came near a wall that had been a part of the Tower and Jack grunted and pushed Halo back against it.

"Shh. Someone's coming," he whispered. He looked around the corner, then snapped back quickly. "Damn, I think he saw me." Halo peeked around as well.

"That's the doctor guy!" she breathed in his ear. "What's he doing over here?"

"He's prolly looking for more dead bodies."

"I thought they cleared it out?"

"No. There were more than a hundred scientists in the Zigguraut and more than three hundred machinists and workers. About fifty people were found that couldn't be identified, between twenty and forty who were. The rest . . . Aren't there."

"I take it none of the bodies was Duke Red or Rock? Or Atlas?"

"No. Duke Red was in the Tower?"

"Yes . . . I . . . can't tell you the whole story, though. You wouldn't believe me."

"Tell me later, the doc's comin' over here." Jack and Halo leaned slowly and silently against the wall. Jack's finger was drumming quietly on the side of the rifle. They both tilted their heads to look back around the corner, but snapped back immediately when a voice reached their ears.

"What are you doing here?" said the cheerful voice. Nurse Tina. Annoying woman, she was. 

"Umm . . . Helping you look for more dead bodies," Halo said nervously. It sounded more like a question than anything, but of course, dummy here didn't seem to notice.

"Ohh! It's you!"

"Yeh heh," came a slightly sarcastic slur.

"Doctor! Doctor Potter!" The young man that had patched Halo up after the Fall of the Zigguraut came around the corner. He didn't look too pleased.

"Ah, yeah, it's you," he said a little uneasily, referring to Halo.

"What's the problem?" asked Halo, raising a brow.

"Doc wants to say we've been hearing things about you, and they're none too pretty," Tina said, possibly as serious as she could make it go.

"What do you mean?" she questioned further, turning now to Doc.

"Well . . . Just . . . Things."

"Like what?"

"People are getting a little suspicious of you, Miss Kane," Tina chimed in again. "We've been reading some stuff in the paper, and some people seem to be getting the idea that you are the one who made the Tower blow. You were the only one to make it out alive, after all. And you do like robots . . ."

"Hmph."

"It's nothin', really, it just kind of looks a little funny, that's all."

"Looks a little funny? They're practically accusing me of blowing up that Tower! No one knows what went on in there, no one knows Duke Red's plan, no one knows anything about that damned Tower!"

"Well, you're not really telling anyone-"

"Jack, don't be stupid. No one would believe me. Without the recorder . . . Without anybody to back me up . . . There's no evidence. It's my word against theirs, and I can guarantee they would come out on top. Metropolis hates robots, I don't. They want to cage me anyway. They wouldn't even say anything about the massacre or the rebellion. They haven't even seemed to noticed President Boone was shot, they just got him buried as soon as they could. Even though I know . . . who shot him. I know the whole damn thing!"

"Um . . . Maybe we should come and do this a different time," Jack murmured to himself. He turned around, walked a few steps, and began talking into the radio he had taken from his belt.

Halo looked at him for a minute, then looked back at Doc and Tina.

"What are you doing down here anyway?" Doc and Tina looked at each other for a minute.

"Well . . . uh . . ."

"We were supposed to be looking for bodies, but we got caught up in something else."

"Like what?"

"We- uh- It's none of your business!"

"Fine, whatever." Halo walked between them and started over some of the debris. Almost everything from the Zigguraut was still there. "They probably didn't even think that weapon was suspicious . . . Nope, just the little girl who went flying over the top of it because she was sitting on a huge chair at the time," she said aloud, sarcastically.

She kicked some small scraps out of her way. She was just going through some papers that were buried there when she heard noises from behind her. She turned, and Jack, Doc, and Tina were about three yards away, looking at something half- buried in the scraps of metal.

Halo stood straight and walked back toward them, stopping when she could see what they were looking at: Charred remains of what appeared to be a robot. Hardly half of the human-like face was still intact, only the deep silver metal underneath the skin-like layer, and only barely then. The hair had been burned and only a few locks remained. The clothes had been burned away, as had most of the artificial skin, leaving only the skeleton of the robot. Through those flaws Halo still recognized this robot as the replica of Duke Red's daughter Tima.

She inhaled air, her intake shuddering. She took two steps back, not wanting to believe it. Looking at it the way she was, it could be a good thing that that robot had been found, but it could also be a bad thing. 

"Halo? Wassamatter?" Jack said, twisting slightly to look up at her. 

"N-nothing," Halo said, staring down at the robot. "That's . . . that's Duke Red's daughter . . . replica of . . . Of Tima."

"Duke Red had a daughter?" Doc, too, looked up at Halo, looking slightly surprised. "I didn't even know he was ever married."

"I dunno, he was just talking to me about it . . . Before . . . Before I was . . . saw . . . the Weapon, and . . . and . . ." Halo was stumbling over her own words, frightened. She couldn't talk about it, she couldn't . . . She remembered looking into those empty green eyes, remembered the darkness, then being thrown from the Tower to stare at the scorched, red sky . . . the color of blood. Now, looking down at the burned remnants of the robot, her eyes still intact, it was like then . . . staring at her, her eyes were blank, green, without emotion . . . dead. 

"What do you mean by 'weapon'?"

"D-Duke Red's weapon, it was concealed on the top of the Zigguraut. No one was allowed in there because they could find out about it, I sup-suppose. The radiation from the weapon was e-enough to destroy the robots . . . but he kept his replica . . . safe." A light bulb had just turned on inside her head. Tima had to know something about the Tower, enough to back up her story . . . since no one else was alive and the recorder had gone up with the Tower, most likely. 

Halo stepped forward again and kneeled between Jack and Tina, intertwining her fingers with the cool, metal ones of the robot Tima. 

"Duke Red neglected to remember that Tima was still only a robot and nothing- not even this replica- could replace his daughter. He thought of robots as objects, but since this robot looked liked Tima, he decided it didn't apply to this one."

"Looks can be deceiving," Jack said quietly.

"Exactly."

Author's Notes: Okay, finished chapter two ^_^ You might wanna keep some of the stuff said here in mind in the later chapters ^_~ r/r


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Jack leaned against the door frame. He was watching Halo, who had been staring down at the battered robot, the so-called daughter of Duke Red. Halo had told Jack she would explain what had happened in the Zigguraut, but she hadn't yet, and though he was eager to know, he didn't want to pry into it.

"What will happen to the government?" Halo asked, turning around.

"It depends, what do you mean?"

"Well . . . President Boone is dead, so is the Duke . . . And the leader of the Marduks as well, not that the Marduks would have stayed around without Red and Boone's authorization anyway."

"I dunno. I suppose the senate would control things until the next presidential election . . . But that's not for another two years."

"I s'pose . . ." Halo walked from the room, Jack moving out of her way then following behind. 

"What did you have me bring that robot in for anyway?"

"I just had an idea, that's all," Halo replied. "I was thinking if we repaired it, maybe her memory bank could be put to some good use, you know? I don't have any more evidence for Harbin against the Duke revealing the Zigguraut's true purpose and Red's plans, therefore . . . the robots are still enslaved."

"That's what this is about?"

"Well, yes, actually. That's what I'm here for, after all. And you heard Doc and Tina. People seem to think that I'm responsible for tipping a tower. The only way to prove that it wasn't me is with some evidence."

"What makes you think that they'll believe you? They might think that you created that robot, in which case they don't like robots anyway-"

"Then we'll just have to hope, won't we?" Jack stopped and watched her walk back into her room, leaving the door open. He thought about that for a moment, then went to stand in her doorway.

"It'll take a lot of time and equipment to repair that robot," he said. "Some of the tools might be expensive . . ."

"We can steal it, anything, just as long as that robot gets repaired. And besides, figure out how to fix it and you find out the reasons Atlas was killed."

"You could tell me, though."

"I think you need a little motivation."

"Okay, then . . . tell me what happened in the Tower. What made it blow up?"

"No," Halo said flatly.

"Why not?"

"No. It's none of your business." Good thing Halo wasn't facing him. Her eyes had begun to water. "Just go away." She turned and pushed Jack lightly to get him out of the doorway, then she shut the door . . . and locked it. She wanted to tell him what had happened, it just wouldn't come out . . . At all. 

Atlas's old cap was laying on the window sill beside Halo's bed. She couldn't help but to keep it. Even though they hadn't known each other that well, she still felt that there had been- could have been- something there, something between them . . . Halo felt a warm tear sliding down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. More than a month after Atlas had died and she was still crying over him. 

It was odd, though, because she had seen Jack pretty broken up about Atlas's death as well, nearly as much as Halo was. Jack hadn't yet broken into fits of anger, lashing out at unsuspecting people as a way to vent, but Halo had seen him near tears in his own room, once, only days after Halo had shown up to beg for a place to stay. Halo, however, had done both. 

She crawled to her bed, then climbed up, burying herself under the covers. She reached out from under her warm spot and grabbed Atlas's hat and pulled it under the blanket as well. She hugged the hat to her chest, just as she had done in the makeshift hospital a month ago, and brought her knees up as well. She often ended up like this, when there was nothing else to do, no one was around, and she was already on the brink of tears . . . Kind of like how it was now.

The corridor was dark, seemingly endless, and somewhat frightening. She didn't want to venture forth, but turning around was the same; a dark, never-ending hall. 

Still, she ran. She ran through the gloom, not sure if there was a door or anything at the end. Still, not wanting to stand still, afraid, in the dark back there, she decided to run. And then . . . Footsteps apart from her own. Looking over her shoulder she saw nothing, whether because of the dark or there was nothing there. She continued, panting now, until a thin strip of light became visible for what it was. She came closer . . . It was the light from under a door . . .

Then her action of twisting the knob was interrupted as the footsteps were heard again, this time accompanied by a harsh breath. She turned, staring through the dense dark, and was immediately thrown against the door, pinned by large hands. They forced her shoulders into the hard metal door, their grip relentless.

A laughter reached her ears, a hoarse croak. She looked up, searching for a face, only smelling the stale breath of a man . . . Who then spoke.

"Have you . . . Missed me . . . Halo?" 

His hollow laugh filled her ears, his hands releasing their grip on her. She fell roughly to the floor, then got up quickly, reaching for the door knob and turning, then thrusting the door open. She stood there, staring, her breath shuddering . . . Not this again, no, why?

The throne was gleaming down at her from its perch upon the stairs, just as she had seen it before, only now she knew what to do, she could control herself, she could turn away . . . only one other choice . . . She turned to face the man . . .

"Rock . . . ," she whispered. He laughed, clutching his sides, and she took this as an opportunity. She ran, dodged Rock, and ran again . . . There must be a door, a way out, on the other end . . . There had to be. Through the darkness, just as she had before, she ran until she reached another door. But upon arriving two figures- a tall one and a smaller one- emerged from a room, shutting the door behind them. She hadn't seen who they were, only saw small details in the light of the room.

"Who . . . ? Who . . . ?"

"Now, you may take your seat at the throne," said a soft voice in Halo's ear.

"No . . . No! It's not you! You're dead! You're dead!" There came no reply but a soft chuckle and a giggle . . . A girl's giggle . . . Right there, in front of her . . . "And you! You're both dead! No! NO!" She pushed past them, wrenching open the door and stumbling in . . . Where she fell to her knees . . . "No! Can't you leave me the hell alone?! Go away! GO AWAY!"

The mixed sounds of laughter, giggling, and gun fire filled the air around her all at once. In front of her lay the body of Atlas, and then towering above him were two Marduks . . . Firing their guns continuously. Beyond that was . . . The throne. 

On her knees, she covered her ears, pressing her palms tightly to them, and screamed as loudly as she could, rocking back and forth. It was happening again, Atlas's death. It wouldn't go away . . . Then the throne, the darkness . . . 

Jack glanced over at Halo then back down at his cards. Halo was sitting in the corner by the door, staring wide-eyed at the floor. Jack and everyone else was playing poker. Jack looked back up at Halo, then at his cards again, then at the table. 

"Fold," he said, laying the cards face-down on the table. He pushed back his chair and stood, walking to Halo and sitting down beside her. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked. He had found her in her room, shaking, sweating, crying, and clutching Atlas's cap so tight her knuckles were beginning to turn white. He had told her to come with him to play some poker, where she deserted the game to sit in the corner and stare at things at random. But now, Halo's only response was a nod . . . then the shake of her head.

"It started over again," she whispered. "I had to watch it again . . . His death . . . Duke Red . . . Rock . . . Tima . . . They were there . . . Again. They won't leave me alone." Jack put a comforting arm around her.

"Don't worry about it, aight? It's probably nothing to worry yourself over."

"I don't . . . know . . ."

"'Ay, Jack, we're startin' a new game," called one of the guys from the table.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be there in a minute." He turned back to Halo. "You okay? Really?"

"I don't know, Jack . . . I don't know anymore." She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I can't explain it to anyone . . ." Her whispers were barely audible as her sentence reached a close. "It won't come out . . ." 

Jack squeezed her shoulder, sat there for a few seconds more, looking at her, then sighed and stood. Halo put her chin to the top of her knees, closing her eyes. She hadn't had a dream like that in weeks . . . for the first few nights after the Fall she had been afraid because of dreams similar to her most recent one, but none containing Atlas, Duke Red, Rock . . . or Tima. 

A laugh, accompanied by several deep grunts and groans, came from the table and she open her eyes to watch Jack bringing the betting contents toward himself. He, apparently, had won another hand. Atlas used to love to play card games like that, or so she was told. Jack had also told her that Atlas lost most of his money that way, kind of like Jack himself. It seemed Jack was hitting a bit of luck tonight.

Ever since Jack had heard Atlas had died he claimed himself as 'leader' person. It suited him well, just like it suited Atlas. Both seemed to take charge fairly quick and easily. 

As the clock behind Jack chimed twelve times, announcing midnight, the guys put up, took their money, and headed out. Even the cat, who was perched on top of the desk in another corner, took its leave. It took Jack a few more minutes to get his stuff together, sweeping the change into a small sack. When he turned, Halo was already standing and ready to go.

Neither of them said anything as they made their way out and up the staircase, though Jack did keep glancing over at Halo. They turned left at the landing, walking through another door, then turning right to go up another set of stairs. The kept going straight from the landing, walking into a corridor of doors. After a couple of minutes of total silence, they came to the door at the very end of the hall and entered to loud laughter and a thick screen of smoke. 

Halo ignored them and continued up the few stairs at the other side of the room and went back to her bedroom. Only after she had shut the door did she hear footsteps go by- most likely Jack's. She walked from the door and to the small bathroom, slowly turning the knob. The water began to pour from the faucet, cold at first and quickly warming up. 

"This is all I need," she assured herself. "A warm bath." Of course, she knew this wasn't going to make her forget everything . . . it would give her a chance to clear her mind, maybe even take her mind off of these recent happenings, if only for a little while . . . 

Author's Notes: This is moving along quite slow, a little slower than I thought, but I'm trying to make two things happen at once!! You know what to do, you can hear that little purple button at the bottom of your screen screaming, "Push me! Push me!" so push away! ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. 

"Jim! Get over here!"

"Y-yes, sir? What can I d-do for you, sir?"

"Where is he going?" the older man demanded, pointing out the window to the man strolling along the sidewalk nearly four stories below. 

"I do believe he is going to the east side of Metropolis, sir . . . He does have a meeting to go to over there, if you would remember."

"Yes, yes . . . Those meetings . . . Quite unacceptable."

"Shall I ask him to cancel?"

"No . . . But you can follow him."

Rath looked both ways to make sure no speeding cars or trollies would run him over and then stepped off the sidewalk. Aid ought to be around the next block, waiting for him. But Rath couldn't ignore the feeling tugging at the back of his mind . . . The one wanting to convince him someone was following him.

He put that matter aside and soon enough was accompanied by his friend Aid. They made their way silently into Back-Alley VII and then came out Back-Alley IV to the eastern part of Upper-level Metropolis. Only a few minutes after that, the two young men were approaching the tower. 

"We're late," said the blonde-haired man, his eyes resting on the clock perched underneath the window of a tower a short distance away. 

"Yeah, I know . . . Jack won't mind, though. He probably hasn't noticed." Rath looked at Aid, pretty sure of himself. He tugged at the front of his cap and then pushed the heavy, glass door open. They were just about to start up the stairs when Jack and Anne, a short, blonde woman (his sister), came walking down them.

". . . And I'm positive it's nothing!" the woman was saying, but Jack cut her off as he caught sight of Rath and Aid.

"Oh . . . Yeah, I nearly forgot about the meeting. Anne, why don't you . . . uh, go see what Halo's doing . . . or something. I've got business to tend to."

"Yeah, fine." Anne walked past Aid and Rath and disappeared into a doorway to their left. Jack, Rath, and Aid continued up the stairs.

Jim looked in from the window. Rath, Aid, and some other man were standing in the middle, speaking about something, then they turned to walk up the stairs. When they had gone a little ways Jim slipped in the door to follow. He kept himself well out of sight, edged up against walls and tucked behind corners, dodging things in the cramped halls and trying not to make any extra squeaking noises that weren't in sync with theirs. 

The men walked into a door to their left, leaving it open behind them. Jim sat just outside, trying to catch most of their conversation. 

". . . General Davies isn't too pleased, Jack," Rath said solemnly.

"I know. He's not too happy with us going back out to the Zigguraut so frequently, diggin' up parts. Hell, it don't do no good to tell us off for it, we won't stop."

"Jack, don't you understand?!" Aid interjected. "Davies has a lot of power in this city. If Red were still here he'd probably be an even bigger political symbol than even him! He could have you executed for butting around where you shouldn't."

"I know that. They know that. And she knows that. But I can't afford to not go back to the tower. Besides, she still has some . . . stuff to do."

"Who is 'she'?" 

"Halo. She . . . isn't . . . well, she isn't too comfortable. It seems that people are blaming her for the incident concerning the Tower. She thinks she might have some good evidence to prove she didn't do it, but we're not sure."

"Evidence? What kind of evidence?"

"Halo said that Duke Red has a dead daughter and he made a replica who was there and witnessed everything. If we repair her, her memory in the least, then we could prove she's innocent of blowing up the Tower. If we can do it soon, then that's best. The sooner she leaves Metropolis the better."

"Halo Kane, huh? Yeah, heard of her from Davies as well . . . You know he's put a reward out on her? Five hundred if she's brought to him alive, seven hundred dead," explained Rath.

"'Course, five to seven hundred bucks isn't a lot, for what she's worth." Rath elbowed Aid immediately.

"Dammit, Aid, why you gotta think like that all the time?" Aid only grinned. After a moment, though, they heard voices and laughter from just outside the door.

"Heh heh heh. He looks pretty rich to me!"

"Yeah, I say we kill him!"

"I say we don't kill him!" Jack, Rath, and Aid stepped outside the door. Aid grinned an even wider grin at Rath the time. "What the hell are you doing?" Jack demanded of the five men that had been playing poker earlier. 

"Nothin', Jack, jus' havin' a little fun," one man said as innocently as he could. 

"Get him out of here," ordered Jack. Rath and Aid looked down at the man, huddled, frightened, against the wall.

"Well, if it isn't Jimmy!" Aid said, grabbing his upper arm and heaving him from the floor. 

"Come on, Jim, tell us you wasn't eavesdroppin'!" said Rath in mock surprise. 

"All right, Jimmy-boy, empty ya pockets." Aid sighed, let go of Jim, and patted him twice on the back. Jim, shaking an awful lot and afraid to refuse their orders, quickly reached inside his pants pockets and turning the pockets out. Coins and cash fell to the wooden floor. Aid laughed. "That's a good boy."

"I'll do it," Rath said, taking Jim by the arm and forcing him down the corridor. The guys were laughing at Jim the whole way down the hall, then they disappeared down the stairs. The heard a loud whimper, then a crash, then a "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Jack walked to the top of the stairs and looked down. The man they referred to as Jim wa laying unconscious against the far wall. Halo was on her knees, staring angrily up at Rath, who stood in the middle of the large hall staring over at Jim.

"Now, look what you did!" he said, trying as best he could to be serious without laughing. "You knocked the poor guy out!"

"Well, it's your fault!" 

"What happened?" Jack interrupted immediately.

"I came running out the door because I heard ya'll beatin' up on that guy and ran into this oaf here-"

"And she knocked poor Jim into the wall." Aid, now beside Jack, began to laugh. Jack only sighed.

"Don, Lin, go do somethin' with that guy. Rath, Aid . . . I guess we'll have to talk some other time." Jack turned away from them and walked back the other way. Don and Lin disposed of Jim and Aid continued down to Rath, who's eyes were lingering on Halo. Aid began to usher him toward the door.

"And I will see you tomorrow night," Rath teased, walking from the building.

"Ya jerk!" was all Halo could say as he left. Her voice echoed around the hall.

"General, why in hell did you send Jim after us! If he had come in and exposed us we'd all have been done in and we wouldn't have achieved anything!" 

"Calm down, Rath. I didn't intend for him to get caught, I was merely asking him to see what all your meetings were about. When I assigned him that mission I can assure you I don't know if I was drunk or what but I can guarantee it won't happen again. Now . . . Do you know where they put him?"

"Who was that guy?" Halo said, looking at Jack across the hall.

"Rath. He's . . . kind of a friend."

"So you don't know too much about him?"

"No. Not really. Only enough to know that he can get some good information for us."

"Information for what?"

"Doesn't matter to you. You won't be here for it." Jack walked away, leaving Halo there to ponder. After a few seconds she went into the room right in front of her. She walked down the hallway, turning into another room where Anne was smoking a cigarette.

"Anne, you know the things that go on around Metropolis, don't you know anything about Rath?" Halo asked, sitting down on the couch next to Anne.

"Rath? Yeah, I know a bit about him. He worked for the government when I did, under General Davies. Metropolis department. Wasn't a big fan of the Marduks, either. I don't think he liked the Duke. I dunno if he still works over there or not. He was when I got fired."

"You got fired?"

"Yeah. I got caught channeling a bunch of information to a secret society of people . . . They wasn't too happy about that."

"Who or what department did you work under?"

"I worked with Rath under General Davies, but I was also under Zigguraut. Got fired about six months before it blew." Anne put her cigarette out. 

"So . . . Do you know any of Jack's plans?"

"As much as I try to avoid getting into the affairs of the former rebellion leaders, I have to say I do know but I am kinda sworn to secrecy, if you know what I mean. Sorry kid." With that, Anne stood and walked up the stairs, pausing only to say, "Get some sleep," and then continuing. 

Author's Notes: It's a little shorter than I had planned . . . But when I plan it turns out wrong so hey, this is an improvement . . . sort of . . . I didn't really mean to do this, but this did end up as a kind of filler chapter. Hang with me. r/r!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

"Come on, Halo . . . It's not that bad . . .

"No! No, go away . . . Y-you're dead! You're dead! All of you!" Halo screamed, turning and clasping her hands over her ears, trying to liberate herself from the words of the dead people behind her. She ran. She ran hard, fast, and as far as she could go, down that same, dark, empty corridor . . . She feared what would be at the other end . . . She knew what would be at the other end. 

She turned left into a shorter hall and leaned against the wall, moving down slowly to sit on the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her eyes were closed tightly, tears sliding swiftly down her cheeks. She was silent. No stray sobs escaped her lips. 

They would come for her. Silent or not, they would find her . . . and haunt her . . . They wouldn't go away, they were always there, always ready for her . . . She opened her eyes and stared at the wall, though she couldn't see it, and then . . . There, it was beside her, a figure barely noticeable except for the smooth breathing sound of its slightly open mouth . . . It was Atlas.

Without so much as a glance Halo knew who it was. She held her knees even tighter to herself, placing her chin upon one, closing her eyes, and giving a faint smile. 

The traces of dawn still hung in the air as the dew dripped from the window panes. It was hard not to think about the things that went on in her dreams, even harder now that they were coming every night instead of once or twice a week. Even worse was there was no one to tell, no one to confide in . . . no one to understand her problems.

They were always ready for her when she slept, ready to haunt her, always there, she could never escape. At times she was afraid to even attempt to sleep, afraid of what await her when she got there . . . But now she had become so accustomed to the dreams that her fears hardly ever recurred anymore . . . Though there were those few times . . .

A knock came to her door. She ignored it, staring out the window at the tops of the towers and roofs next to her own as the golden rays of the sun beamed across them, glaring down on the tin. The light seemed to have no effect in warming her, as the crack and hole in her window admitted a stream of cool breezes. She was just thinking about fixing the hole when the person interrupting her thoughts knocked again. She gave a light growl and ignored it.

The large gap between buildings was clearer now in the morning. The Fall of the Zigguraut, it's many long, confusing corridors still . . . Damn it!

"Halo, I know you're awake, get your ass out here!" 

Jack. Damn it all to hell! Halo turned, her arms still crossed to keep them warm in her large, loose coat. She opened her door and looked at the man menacingly, as if daring him to knock again. 

"What?" she croaked. 

"We . . . Are you cold?" Jack eyed her arms folded tightly.

"Just a little." Jack walked past her and kneeled beside her window, running his hand across the smooth sill, inspecting the base of the bottom left window pane. A whistling noise was heard even across the room as a more powerful stream of air whipped through the hole.

"Got a crack here . . . I'll have to fix it." He stood straight. "We gotta go to the Tower to pick a few things up that some buddies o' mine found the other night."

"The . . . The Zigguraut?"

"Well, yeah, what other Tower would I be talkin' about?" Jack walked back out the door and turned to face her again.

"I . . . do I . . . do I have to go with you?"

"I would prefer if you would. Don't feel too comfortable leaving you here alone. Besides, today is the two-month inspection, remember?"

"Yeah . . . Yeah, I remember." Halo coughed and turned, walking back across the room to stand in front of her window again. Jack only watched from the door frame. 

"You had another dream, didn't you?"

"Yeah . . . It was nothin' though." She coughed again.

"Why don't you see a psychiatrist or somethin' about it?"

"Because, Jack, things like that cost money, which we don't have-" she covered her mouth as a rasping cough scraped her throat. "-and even if we did it's a horrible waste of money. I just need a way to . . . vent, that's all." Jack sighed.

"Fine. Just hurry up and get dressed. Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes." Jack had almost closed the door when he stopped. "And take something for that cold."

She had been about ten minutes late, having bounced around in the bathroom and kitchen to find something for her cold. When she couldn't find anything the second go around, she walked downstairs and into the lobby, where Jack sat on a chair, staring up at the ceiling, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Bored without me?" Halo said, stifling a fresh wave of coughing. Jack snorted and stood. 

"You're just a little late," he said sarcastically, pushing open the heavy glass door to let Halo through.

"Only a little."

"You find anything for that?" Jack questioned as Halo erupted into another fit of coughs.

"Um, no, but I'll be fine for a little while. Don't worry about it." 

The streets were busy as ever as Halo and Jack made their way across town. With the Duke gone and the Leader of Marduks dead as well, robots from Zones One, Two, and Three had decided it was time that they emerged from the depths of their respective Zones. Halo thought it was quite a step.

"They just don't seem to realize how short their freedom will be," Halo said, watching a couple of robots playing poker on the street corner.

"Yeah . . ." Jack didn't say this too enthusiastically. Halo had nearly forgotten that he hadn't been a robot supporter and didn't care what happened to them. It just wasn't a very good subject to talk about in front of him.

"Jack, they're not that bad," said Halo, turning her head to look up at him. He growled deep in his throat. 

"The bastards took our jobs. We starve and freeze out here with no money for food."

"It's our fault, we created them." Jack was silent. Not another word was said from any of them until they approached the site of the fallen Zigguraut.

"Shit," Jack swore. He pushed Halo back up against a wall and peered around the corner. "Marduks are everywhere."

"I thought they were disbanded."

"You and me both, but apparently not. We'll have to go around."

"Around? Are you crazy?! We'd have to go down to Zone Three and follow the Pipe all the way to the vent!"

"I think I know that, but there's a few things I really need to get . . . Now." 

"What could be this important?"

Jack didn't reply. He watched the Marduks for a few minutes longer and walked back the way they came. Halo followed. They edged their way back through the crowded streets until they came upon the gateway. When they arrived at Zone One, Jack ordered the Operator to stop.

"Halo, you get off."

"Why? I thought I was coming with you . . ."

"No, I need you to stay on this side of the Pipe. If there's any trouble, you'll hear it, trust me. Just . . . go." Halo sighed and stepped off the gate. She stood on the closed-off platform, watching the gate going down. Zone One appeared to be a lot less crowded now that most of the robots were roaming Upper-level Metropolis. The non-supporters, the humans, had stayed put. 

Halo passed a cart holding all sorts of alcohol and spirits, the smell thick around the small wooden stand. She held her breath walking past it, until she was stopped.

"You tryin' to get away from them too?" It was the man running the cart. "Yeah, I can- hic- understand that. Damn things, they are." Halo ignored the man and continued walking. The Pipe was on Other Side, a place Halo thought she would never have to go to again. 

She ventured deeper into Zone One, the copper-hued pipes lining the walls. "Better start climbing," Halo muttered to herself. She began to climb up the many pipes, dangling occasionally to think about what she was doing and if it was worth it. Still, she kept going until she reached the main controls. The door leading into Pipe was latched closed to her left and the control panel was to her right. "Okay, stay and wait for Jack . . . or . . ." 

The Pipe was wide and large and could easily fit five people standing on top of each other. Halo looked both ways down the long pipe and pulled her head out again, grabbing the light that had been left on the ground. She clicked the 'on' button and dropped herself into the Pipe. The yellow sewage water came up to her ankles, filling her nostrils with a very unpleasant smell. She was unsteady at first, the Pipe being round, but she began to make her way down the Pipe, her hand sliding against the wall in case she fell. 

She could just barely hear the sewage water falling up ahead in the left passage. As she approached it she stopped. "Take the left or keep on walking." She couldn't remember if the left passage lead to the southern outskirts of Upper-level Metropolis or not. She decided to take the left passage, out of plain curiosity. 

"Disgusting," she whispered with a slight giggle. She was, of course, referring to the yellow water she had been wading through for the past three or so minutes. When she came to the end she stopped. There was a large grille in front of her, the light coming through the slots making lines across her face. She peered down through the slots in the grille. A few tall stacks of crates and boxes stood near a rather large hole that was directly below her, the sewage water tumbling down into it. "Ew," she breathed shortly. But beyond that stood two figures, one in red and the other in brown. She couldn't hear their voices over the pounding of the water to the ground below her.

She stuck the small flashlight between her teeth and pulled the loose grille from the circular hole and began to climb down over the jagged wall, hoping that they couldn't see her behind the crates and boxes. When her feet touched the ground she fell unsteadily to one knee, then stood back up again trying to stifle a sneeze. She hoped to God that they couldn't hear her.

Halo leaned forward to peer through a gap in the boxes. Still no good, she couldn't hear them. Hell, she could barely see them. She leaned in more to get a better look and sent one of the boxes tumbling to the ground.

"Who's there!" shouted the man in the brown, taking out a gun and pointing it her way. She held her breath, as if it would do any good. She saw the man coming closer, slowly, his gun held steady . . . She glanced over to her left, a dark alleyway over there. To her right, only the sewage. The man knocked the boxes over and Halo took off to her left, down the passage. She turned on the light to guide her through it, turning right and running and then left and continuing. Until, that is, she hit a dead end. Panting, she turned. She heard footsteps approaching then they stopped in front of the alley, the figure pointing the gun at her.

Halo moved her thumb down slowly until the light cut off. She then moved her hand toward the ground to find something hard, something solid; nothing. She reached her hand up and threw the flashlight somewhere to the man's right. He turned and began to walk in that direction. Halo edged by him but soon enough she felt her boot begin to slip and fell backwards. The back of her head collided with the concrete ground. 

"Shit," she cursed, seeing the brown-clad man standing over her before passing out.

The sound of splashing water filled the Pipe as Jack ran through the sewage. Ahead he saw a patch of light on the right wall. He came to a halt in front of it.

"Damn it!" he said, continuing his trek down the Pipe. "I told her to stay here!" The left passage was just ahead now, but he ignored it. He ran straight until he came to the dip and began to slide down. The dip wasn't steep, just slippery, so by the time he arrived at the bottom his back was soaked with the water. 

"If only I hadn't got caught," he said. "Damn it, where'd she go?!" Now there was a dead end and only three ways to go: left, right, or back. 

"Damn it, I told you not to go after her!"

"But, sir-"

"No! You were told to leave her be. She wasn't our priority!"

"Sir, you're right, I disobeyed your orders, but if we hold her you know he'll come for her."

"I refuse to drop that low! I want to catch Jack on my own, and I'm in the right position to do it, and Davies has already given his orders. Now get out of my sight!" 

The brown-clad man saluted and walked from the room. The man in red turned to the window and stared out angrily. "Rath, don't you think . . . I dunno, maybe he's right?" The man in red turned to look at who the voice belonged to. He was leaning against the doorway, his arms folded. 

"Aid, you know that we can do this, without having to use a cheap trick like that."

"But you know he's right, either way. Jack has all those guys around him all the time. It'd be pretty hard to get to him without getting shot."

Rath turned back to the window. "Yeah, I'll admit, he's got a point and it would probably work, but . . . What are you smiling about?"

"You actually admit you're wrong. But Jack tried to go the back way to the Zigguraut. It seems our little decoy Marduks did the trick."

"You caught him?"

"No, I only got a few shots off at him before he ran. Fast bastard, he is. I tried to follow him but he got away. He knows someone's after him."

"He doesn't know it's us, does he?"

"Nah, I don't think so."

"Damn," Rath swore. "Now we have to think of something else . . ."

"He'll probably try to go back, though . . . You know, for the 'stuff'." Rath looked at Aid. 

"And again, you're right. He thinks it's that important, doesn't he . . ."

"Yep." Rath walked past Aid. "Are you going to interrogate her or somethin'?" 

"Dunno yet. I'm just gonna take a peek."

"Right then. I'll go and talk to Jack, see if I can't find out anything."

"Atlas . . ." The man remained silent. "Atlas, I'm kinda scared." Still, he didn't say a word. Just as Halo looked up, he walked away and in his stead was Rock. "Rock . . ." she breathed. He reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled, forcing her to stand. "Stop! Rock, let go!"

He pulled her all the way into the main corridor, pushing her forward, letting her go so unexpectedly that she fell forward to the ground. She looked up at him, frightened, and he pointed ahead. She looked in the direction that he was pointing at and saw It. The door. 

"No . . ." she whispered, increasingly frightened with every passing second. "N-no, no, no, NO! I refuse. I won't do it again!" 

A new pair of footsteps were now echoing off the walls in the narrow corridor and Halo knew who it was . . . Only one person it could be . . . Duke Red.

"Halo Kane, it is your destiny," he said softly. "Embrace it. Accept it. Fulfill it."

"She awake yet?" 

"I think so, sir." 

"Well, then, open the door!" 

She heard two male voices, and then the lock on the door sliding back. The huge metal door opened, admitting a man, and then closed behind him. "I know you," Halo said slowly. The man chuckled.

"Yeah, you do. But . . . I have a few questions for you."

"Like what?" Halo gave a frightened gasp as he jumped in front of her face. "Rath!"

"Yep, it's me. And now . . ." He pulled a chair closer and sat down facing her. "Halo Kane, tell me, what happened in the Zigguraut?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Halo didn't know how to respond. She had never been open to anyone in explaining what had gone on in the Zigguraut before the Fall . . . No way she was going to now.

"Why do you care? I bet you think I'm some nut-case who blew the Tower to pieces."

"Why would I think that?"

"Because apparently the rest of the city does."

"I think it was a natural occurance. Truth be told, I never really cared about the Zigguraut. I just want to know." 

"You're lying."

"You have no way to prove it."

"What do you want with me?"

"The truth."

Halo fell silent. She didn't mean to be an ass like this, it just sort of came out like that. And she couldn't tell him . . . No, she couldn't tell anyone, whether she wanted to or not . . . It just wouldn't come out.

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Can't." 

Rath sighed. "I'll give you some time on that one. 'Nother question. What are you doing with Jack?"

"The robots are my responsibility now that my co-workers are dead. I can't go back to the society for reinforcements . . . because I would have failed. Even though Duke Red, Rock, and Boone are dead and gone the robots still aren't free or treated equally. I feel like I owe them something, so I needed a place to stay until I was ready to leave Metropolis. The only person I could think of was Atlas's best friend . . . Jack."

"Why do you think you owe the robots something?"

"That's none of your busine-" Halo gave a rasping cough, cutting off the end of her sentence. 

"Really, I think it is my business, unless you want to die. And then you would go down with those shameful guilty feelings."

"You kill me and you get nothing."

"Oh, either way I can get what I'm really looking for." Halo glared at Rath.

"Their chance at real freedom was destroyed all because I sat on the throne."

"Throne?"

"Yes . . ." Halo gulped. Now she would have to tell him about it. "Before I get to that, let me start at the beginning . . ."

Jack leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"Jack, really, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yes, it is, Anne. She was my responsibility. I told her to wait there when I should have let her come with me. And on top of that she's sick, and I know for a fact that she went through that nasty-ass water, which didn't help a bit." His voice was muffled by his hands, but Anne seemed to understand. 

"Halo can take care of herself, Jack. Don't worry about her so much."

"What would Atlas think?" he muttered. He either didn't hear his sister or was ignoring her altogether.

"What do you mean by that?" Jack lifted his head to look at his sister.

"Even Atlas would have let her go with him."

"Why would you care about that? Atlas isn't here anymore, you're the one making the decisions."

"Yeah, but . . . I just feel like I'm too . . . irresponsible, like I'm gonna slip, do something stupid, and get people hurt."

"Like Halo?"

"What?"

"People . . . like Halo." Jack looked at his sister for a few seconds longer.

"Yeah . . . Like Halo." He put his head back in his hands and said no more. 

"I . . . I think I've done something." The two men, Don and Phil, rushed over to the table where the broken robot lay surrounded by tools. 

"What?"

"This . . . little light here . . ." Lin pointed at the section where a heart would be. "I was repairing the memory wires up here in the left section of the motherboard and this red light blinked on then off."

"Do it again, numb-skull!" 

"Oh, right . . ." Lin grabbed some of the wires in the left section of the head and began to twist them together. The light near the heart circuit blinked several times and then went off again. 

"Don, contact the Lieutenant!"

"Right . . ." One man departed from the other two and ran up the stairs.

"Well . . . I suppose that's one step up to repairing this piece of junk, then."

"Ti . . . Ti . . . Ti-ma. Tima."

Aid pushed open the doors and stepped into the empty lobby. He took a look both ways and then continued up the stairs. Can't be too cautious. He really didn't know for sure if Jack saw him or not. 

As he turned into the meeting room he saw, from the corner of his eye, a woman leaning against the wall to his left.

"Anne . . ."

"Aid, what are you doing here?"

"Just . . . Came to have a talk with Jack, is all."

"Yeah. And where's Rath?"

"He's a little . . . busy."

"Uh huh, yeah. What are you up to, Aid? I know you and Rath, you didn't come here just to 'talk'." Aid smirked.

"Yeah, you're right. I have a little job to propose to him at the moment."

"Oh well, you'll just have to talk to him later."

"And why is that?" 

Anne looked at Aid sharply. "He's . . . confused, tired, and busy as well. Come back later."

"Oh, but Anne, I need to talk to him now."

Jack sighed and leaned forward on the window sill. He couldn't stop thinking about his little slip-up. Halo was his responsibility, especially since she was sick and all, and now . . . he had basically lost her. 

"Damn it," he said softly, with another sigh. "How could I be so . . . stupid? Atlas would kill me . . ." Jack slumped forward as something collided with the back of his head, knocking him cold. 

"Sir, Aid's here. He needs a word with you."

"Can't it wait?"

"He says it's urgent." 

Rath looked at Halo, who had broken into silent tears, then stood. The guard outside the room opened the door and let Rath out. Halo heard the two speaking outside the door.

"What do you mean? Damn it, Aid!" Halo jumped slightly as something hit the door with a great force. 

"Rath, calm down. This only makes things much easier."

"Maybe, but now we've been exposed! If one or both of them gets away, it's our heads. Not to mention General Davies didn't signal this movement! What are you gonna do with him, huh?"

"You didn't want her brought in here but that idiot did! Are you just gonna throw her out?"

"No, that would be stupid because she knows what we're up to. She may be a supporter but she's not stupid."

"Yeah, I see you've had a good talk with her. You say she's not stupid but what if she finds a way out of here? If she goes and shoots her mouth off we're dead!"

"Don't worry about Halo Kane, just worry about Jack. Where is he?"

"Four-wall cellar. The other locks were occupied."

"I'm going to finish up here then we'll go and have a talk with Jack, got it? 'Til then, I want you to make a full report to Davies. Say everything's fine but we're ahead of schedule. Got it?" 

"Yeah." Rath walked back into the room looking rather sour. Halo looked up at him angrily.

"Davies, huh? I suppose he wants to be the new leader of Metropolis?"

"You heard that?" 

"Everyone heard you, you liar! You're only doing this for the General, aren't you!"

"Not exactly."

"And what do you want with Jack?"

"That's none of your business, Kane, just shut up or go to sleep or something. I'll be back in the morning." With that, Rath continued back out the door. It slammed shut behind him and the heavy lock slid back into place. Halo coughed and stared up at the gray ceiling.

"Shit . . ."

Jack rubbed the back of his head gently.

"What the hell did you hit me with?" he said angrily, looking up at Aid. Aid stood with a somewhat solemn look on his face, his arms crossed.

"Cast iron frying pan. Anne proved that they come in handy when she took a swing at me."

"Anne? What'd you do to her?!"

"Relax." Rath entered the cellar, shutting the door behind him. "Anne's fine, I'm sure. I'm just not sure about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, getting hit in the head with cast iron doesn't ensure that you'll live. But, you know, who cares, right? You're only helping a supporter and defying the government, I'm sure no one'll care if you 're dead. But, well, we just wanna ask you a few questions . . . What are you repairing that drags you away from everything else . . . Let's see . . . It couldn't be . . . Duke Red's robot, could it?"

"How do you know about that?!"

"Mice, my friend. We have a few spies lurking around in your basement, so to speak. Care to take a guess?"

"Bastards," Jack muttered. "No, Don, Lin, and Phil wouldn't-"

"Oh, but they are. They've been giving us a thorough report on the process. We hear it's been going along pretty well. Now . . . What are you going to use it for? Did someone happen to tell you about Halo Kane's little dilemma?"

"Yeah, the General's blamin' her for the Tower's explosion, so what? She didn't do it."

"Did she explain to you what happened?"

"N- no, not exactly."

"Then . . . what would you know?"

"This is just a dream . . . This can't happen. It's already been done. It can't happen again."

"You don't believe yourself. I can feel it, you don't believe a word you say." Halo clenched her teeth. What Rock said was true. She didn't believe herself. But she had to find a way out of discussing this . . .

"Where's Tima?" Rock looked at Duke Red, awaiting the answer to Halo's abrupt question.

"She's not here."

"Where did she go?"

"It's your dream, you should know that only the dead are here."

"W-what? Y-you . . . you mean . . ." No, this couldn't be right. Tima had been destroyed with Duke Red when the Tower went up. "No, Tima is gone! Th-that robot was blown up! You were all blown up! Why won't you leave me alone?!"

"Halo Kane, you doubt yourself. And saying such things will only put you up for disappointment. She isn't here . . . and only the dead can be here. But . . . this is a dream, after all . . . isn't it . . ."

Author's Notes: Sorry I kept changing the setting and everything so quick, if you got confused. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7. 

"No . . ." Halo sat up, drenched in cold sweat. She looked around at the walls from her corner where she had fallen asleep. "No . . ." she whispered. "No, it's not true. Tima . . . is gone." She was recalling the Duke's words from her dream. "Unless . . . She was repaired."

One spark of hope in her mind: What if Tima had been repaired already? If her memory bank had been revived then so had her entire mind, right? If those parts had been fixed, then she was 'alive', in a manner of speaking. 

Halo stood from her corner and walked to the door, where she whispered through the space where a window had obviously once been, "Hey, you, where's Rath?"

"What's it to you?" snapped the guard.

"Look, buddy, I'm his prisoner, I give him information, he needs me. I think I should have a right to know where my abductor is and what he's doing!"

"He went to talk to some guy about an hour ago, he's still gone. I dunno when he'll be back."

Halo sighed and turned, dragging her feet all the way to the chair in the middle of the room. She plopped herself down and placed her head in her hands. "Damn it . . ." she swore. "Jack . . ."

"Well, that didn't help much."

"You'd be surprised, Aid. Now we know for sure that he's trying to repair that robot."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant," Aid said sarcastically.

"We just need to find it and give it to the General."

"That won't be a problem. We already know where it is, we've got Mice in his tower, and everyone else thinks we're on their side."

"Except Anne. Speaking of which, where is she?" Aid stopped.

"Well . . . Um, you see, that's the thing with pots, they don't keep you out for long."

"What are you saying?" Rath raised an eyebrow at his partner. "You mean to tell me you don't know where she is?" 

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Don't kill me!" Aid dove quickly into the hall to his left. 

"Aid, you screw-up! Is that all you ever do?! God, you can't do a damn thing right!"

"Well if I had hit her with anything else she would have died! Then we'd really get dumped."

"You boys, honestly," came a sly female voice. Rath turned as Aid gazed over his shoulder. There stood a slender, blonde woman watching the two men before her. "Don't you two ever stop arguing?"

"Melissa!" Rath hugged her loosely. 

"Heh heh heh," she chuckled. "I see you boys missed me." Aid grunted. "Oh, come on, you're not still sore at me, are you? I figured you woulda got over that by now."

"Yeah, well . . ." Aid walked past the two and continued down the corridor. Behind him, Melissa and Rath continued their conversation. 

"So, Rath-baby, what's new with you?" They began to walk as well and Rath replied, 

"Nothin' much, just helping out the General. Highly sensitive case concerning the Zigguraut, it is." 

"Yeah, I heard about you becoming Lieutenant and all about a year ago. Of course, most of the news that passes through there is about a month late, being on third-floor duty. Anyway, I just had a conference with the General, the board, committee, and council about the Zigguraut. Wanna hear?"

"Ti . . . ma . . . Tima."

Aid looked through the small window and into the dark room.

"She's still here, right?" he said, direction his question to the shorter guard standing next to him.

"Yes, sir, Major."

"Open the door." The guard did as he was told and Aid entered. Halo was sitting in the chair, her eyes moving back and forth over the ceiling. "Halo?"

"Huh?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was counting the bricks on the ceiling."

"There aren't any bricks up there to see."

"There aren't? Oh, darn, I lost count. Gotta start back over . . ." Aid grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. She gave a loud laugh, forcing Aid to drop her back into her seat. "No wonder you keep it dark around here. Looking up and seeing people staring down at you through the glass can make a girl go nuts." 

Aid chuckled and lifted her up again, leading her out of the room. When they were a safe distance away from the tower that she had obviously been held captive in, Halo spoke up. "Where are we going?"

"Well, we weren't exactly expecting you, and there aren't enough locks to hold the new incoming prisoners. Gotta move you somewhere else." 

"Huh . . ." Halo went along with Aid until they were safely in the alley behind the tower. "And . . . Where is Rath?"

"With . . . With Melissa." Aid had a thoroughly disgusted look on his face.

"What, are you jealous or something?"

"Jealous of what? Melissa's just a lying, conniving little bi-" Aid jerked his head suddenly to the left. A loud sound, like a gun or a really big firecracker, had gone off somewhere in that direction. Halo took this opportunity to run, so she wrenched her arm free of his grasp and took off. Aid yelled and began following her. 

"My na-name is-is-is . . . Ti-ma . . . Tima."

Halo stopped dead. Aid came up behind her and grabbed her, cursing her for running. She paid no attention to him. She had inadvertently began running to the Zigguraut and its remains now lay before her. But this wasn't why Halo Kane stopped. No, it was much different. She had heard it . . . Her calling, like Her introduction . . . She fell to her knees, clasping her hands tightly over her ears.

"Make it go away!" she screamed. "Just shut up!" Her eyes burned with tears, her knees stung with the fresh scratches she had acquired. Aid stood above her, watching. He bent down on one knee, a hand on her shoulder, and looked into her face. Her eyes were closed tightly, the clear tears streaming freely down her cheeks. 

A small clicking sound was heard behind him and he turned his head to look in the direction they had come from. Anne stood there, pointing a hand gun.

"Get your hands off her," she ordered. Aid got to his feet and faced her. "I shot at you earlier, I must have bad aim. Let's find out." Anne pulled the trigger and fired. Aid kept a straight and solemn face but walked toward her. He took the gun out of her hands and looked in the chamber.

"One bullet and you weren't even aiming at me. Anne, of all people, you should know that I've been shot at too many times to be afraid of one single bullet." Aid place the gun back in her hand and Anne grinned. "And I know you shoot better than that. You hit a trash can three feet away from my arm!"

"Yeah, okay, you've got me, but where in hell is Jack?"

"None of your business." Aid turned to look back at Halo. "Look at her . . ."

"Yeah, and to think you guys believe she's guilty."

"It doesn't matter to me. Yeah, I believe she's guilty, but she's innocent until it's proven."

"Then what are you doing with her?" Anne asked.

"Davies. He wants a word with her and held captive until he gets back, but I dunno . . . She's freakin' out and I dunno why."

"You wouldn't understand it unless you know she's innocent, which I do."

"Care to explain?"

"Not my story to tell. All I can say is that she went through hell in that tower and deserves better than what she's been given . . . or not given. Just . . . whatever you do, don't lock her up. Keep a personal eye on her, but don't force her into some average cell. She's too vulnerable and way too smart to try and escape." With that, Anne began to walk away back into the alley. Aid continued to look at Halo and let her cry everything out.

"My n-n-na-name is-i-is T-t-t-i-ma-ma. Ti- ma. Tima-a-a.

Author's Notes: IT'S ALIVE! . . . . . . . . . . Isn't Rath mean?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

Halo leaned up and put a hand to her forehead. A headache had been the result of crying and screaming, obviously, but what puzzled her was where she was: sitting in a bed covered with a blanket, neither of which was hers.

She threw the blanket off herself and swung her legs over to stand up. Looking down her shoes had been thrown on the floor. Halo stood, but just as she began walking for the open door she crumbled into a fit of coughs and forced herself to sit back down on the edge of the bed. 

"Who are you?" Halo looked up and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Her blonde hair was wet and hanging around her shoulders while she herself was loosely draped in a bath robe. A cigarette was held between two fingers. 

"I'm . . ." Halo's voice was muffled by her hand still held over her mouth and nose. "I'm Hal-"

"Never mind, it's not important. What are you doing here?"

"Move." Melissa looked over her shoulder at Aid, who had just come up behind her. Melissa moved out of the way, looked at Halo, and continued walking down the hall. Halo looked at Aid. A white towel was hanging over his bare shoulders. His shaggy brown hair was wet, signaling he had just gotten out of the shower. 

He walked in the room and to the dresser on the other side of Halo, apparently searching for a shirt. But Halo was more focused on his scar-covered back. 

Halo took her hand from her mouth. "Where . . . Did they come from?" 

"Huh? What?" he asked, not turning around to face her. 

"The scars. Where did they come from?" Aid felt a cold fingertip touch his back and then leave as Halo leaned against the wall beside him. He looked at her for a minute (Halo then noticing the ones on his chest), then looked down at the contents of his drawer and pulled out a shirt.

"I forget," he said, turning and walking into the room to his right. Halo went and sat on the bed and began to put her shoes on. As she began to tie the strings she heard it again . . .

"Tima . . . Ti-ma, Tima."

The voice . . . Her voice. "It's finished . . ."

"What's finished?" Halo looked up. Aid was standing across the room, drying his hair with the towel. With his maroon shirt and black pants and boots he looked like a Marduk. Wait . . .

"Are you . . . a Marduk?"

"Eh, no, I used to be. I quit when we were told about the Massacre at the City Hall. I work as a major under the General. Same purpose with a lot less killing."

"Purpose meaning robot-killing?"

"Sort of. When you say 'it's finished' you meant the Robot, right?"

Halo snorted. "Yeah, I did."

"We've gotta go pick it up. 'We' meaning me and Rath. You stay here."

"Here? Why am I here anyway? Usually prisoners or people you take captive are kept in dirty cells."

"I was told not to do that. Would you prefer to be in a dirty cell compared to this room? You're sick anyway and I don't think a cell would help it. Quit complaining about it." Aid threw the towel to the floor of the bathroom and took the holster from the top of his dresser and buckled it around his waist, putting his hand gun in it. 

"But what am I supposed to do all day?"

"Go to sleep," Aid suggested.

"I . . . I can't go to sleep. They will be there."

"They?"

"They . . . Duke Red, Rock, and Atlas. They died in the Tower when it blew. When I go to sleep, they're in my dreams."

"Atlas? He died in the Tower?"

"Yes. He was shot. But . . . Wait, did you know him?"

"Somewhat. We were friends before he found out I was with the Marduks. I had no idea he died."

"Halo, why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

Duke Red looked at Halo accusingly.

"You told him the location of my daughter."

"It doesn't matter. What would they use her for?" Halo was slammed into the wall by a great force, a force known as Rock. "Rock," she choked. "Rock, let me go." When the Duke nodded, Rock dropped her. "You know, it's really funny how you attack me even in my dreams!"

Halo looked at Rock angrily, but he was staring down the corridor again. So was Duke Red and Atlas. Halo followed their gaze, but then they started moving, walking down the corridor . . . to the door. Halo followed them into the throne room. She closed the door after herself and looked at the throne, then all around the room to find some reason why they had come here all of a sudden. It was then that she noticed it. A pair of doors, no, an elevator!

She ran across the room to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors opened, much to her surprise, and she got in, pushing the button with the number '1'. The doors closed and she felt the elevator begin to move down. The small bell sounded with every floor that she passed until finally it came to the first floor. She stepped into the lobby and nearly screamed. The lobby was dark, the glass windows and doors smashed to pieces. Halo ran through the open space that once was the door and turned. 

There was no tower, only scraps of twisted metal.

Halo opened her eyes and immediately looked around, panicking. The remains of the Zigguraut lay at her feet. 

"What the hell . . .?" She had been asleep and was obviously sleep-walking. But the problem was Aid had told her to stay put, but now she didn't know where she had been so she couldn't go back. She soon decided that since she was already out here she might as well go find Her . . . so she started forth into the remnants of the Zigguraut.

"Just a little further. Heh heh heh. Just a little further."

Jack felt a sting in his lower lip as the man's fist made contact with his cheek. His head snapped to the right with the force of the blow. By now, Jack was in terrible shape: split lip, sweaty, large spots of dried blood on his clothes. His hands had been tied behind the back of the wooden chair he was in and the thick fibers were beginning to cut into his wrists. 

"Damn it, tell me! Where the hell is it?!"

"Corporal, cool it," came a demand from behind the man. Jack looked past the guy and straight to Aid and Rath. 

"What are you here for?" Jack asked. Needless to say he was mildly disgusted with the behavior they had pulled lately. Rath stepped forward, but Aid turned to the corporal.

"Let him go," Aid said. "NOW." The corporal untied Jack, but he stayed seated, rubbing his reddened wrists. "Jack, we know that robot was in your tower. Where is it now?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's not there anymore," Rath said, obviously annoyed by this extra effort over a robot. "We need the damned contraption and we need it NOW. Tell us where it is!"

"How am I supposed to know?! The last time I was in that tower the robot was being repaired in negative ground floor 2. As far as I know it's still there."

"Well it's not."

"Halo might know."

"She's been with . . . me." Aid narrowed his eyes and turned sharply, walking from the room. Rath watched. 

"Okay, people, get this guy on his feet. He's coming with me."

Aid stopped in front of his bedroom door, which was left open ajar. He sighed heavily and put his fingertips to the wood, but jumped and shuddered as a person began to talk in his ear.

"She's not there," she whispered. He snapped his head to the left to look at Melissa and then pushed the door open. Sure enough, the room was empty. 

"Well, where did she go?"

"I dunno. She looked like she was sleep-walking or something. I dunno. She walked down the stairs, but I didn't follow her. I was too preoccupied with writing my report to go after her." 

"Aid," came a crackling voice. Aid took the radio from his belt and spoke into it.

"What is it, Rath?"

"I found them, but I need your help. Get over here to City Hall, now."

"Copy." Aid put the radio back, looked at Melissa, and walked past her. 

"Halo." The child giggled. "Halo, don't you remember me?"

"Huh? Yeah . . . I remember you. It was because of you that It happened."

"Oh, come on, Halo, don't blame it all on me. It was my father's decision, not mine. And he should have picked a better scientist to build me."

"Why did this have to happen? I shouldn't even have suggested repairing you."

"I would have been around anyway, remember? In death, I am with you. In Mid-death, I am with you. And soon . . . In life . . . I will be with you."

"Mid-death?"

"I am not fully repaired yet, remember? Just a few more things and I'll be alive again!"

"I'm not so sure that's a good thing . . . Besides . . . If you're not dead . . . Why are you here?"

"What the hell . . .?"

Aid, Rath, and Jack stood in front of the statue on the City Hall grounds. They were staring up at it, where, in its outstretched arms, lay Halo. Rath only chuckled.

"This reminds me of the Massacre," he said.

"Oh yeah? And how is that?" questioned Jack.

"Before the massacre she was put up there as a robot-supporter, as an example. It was originally to force her to watch what happened to supporters in Metropolis but Rock of Marduks had other plans," Aid explained. He didn't seem very enthusiastic about it. 

"But why be put up there now?"

Aid looked from Jack back to Halo and sighed. "I guess . . . as a symbol . . . for the robots."

Author's Notes: End chapter 8, of course ^_^ r/r!


End file.
